CBS Picks Up 'Rush Hour' & 'Limitless' TV Shows But Here 7 Other Movies That Would Be More Deserving

Far be it from me to doubt the actions of CBS — the undisputed titan of network programming many years in a row — but the new batch of shows revealed at their upfronts this week have left me more than a little confused. Apparently, viewers will soon see CBS TV show versions of Rush Hour andLimitless; the former is a 1998 buddy-cop comedy starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, the latter a 2011 fantasy drama in which Bradley Cooper takes a pill and becomes a super genius.

While the premise of each movie lends itself well to television, the decision to adapt them for network TV seems strange choices given audiences' tepid reaction towards the source material. Rush Hour was certainly a commercial hit at first, but by the third movie the franchise was barely breaking even. Limitless did relatively well with critics but — even though it wasn't a flop — its box office wasn't exactly record breaking.

I will admit, both projects have talented people behind them. Rush Hour comes to us from Scrubs and Cougartown creator Bill Lawrence, who will probably do particularly well with the source material's goofiness, broad characters, and physical comedy. Hollywood golden child Bradley Cooper (who hasn't had a bomb in several years), will be an executive producer for Limitless, which bodes well for its likely success.

So who knows? Maybe they'll be great (or at least popular)! Regardless, seeing CBS's newfound love of making old movies into new TV shows made me think of a few ideas for next fall. Here are seven movies that CBS should make into TV shows ASAP.

Mommie Dearest

Imagine a tense psychological drama about a narcissistic abusive mother and a daughter with one too many wire hangers in her closet (literally and metaphorically)! Bates Motel meets American Horror Story.

All About Eve

Kill Bill

Now that Revenge has been canceled, we need something to fill the Sociopathic-Woman-On-The-Warpath genre. Maybe the show starts with the death of Uma Thurman and her now 18-year-old daughter has to track down the assassins who did it.

The Fifth Element

Now here's a Chris Tucker film-to-TV adaptation I can get into. Just think of it: a season-long visually arresting epic that combines high camp with science fiction. I bet Chris Tucker would even be available for guest starring every now and then if CBS asks nicely.

Almost Famous

Change the band, change the kid, but keep the central idea that a teenager ends up tagging around with a '70s rock band: Tell it through the teenager's eyes, make it about the music business in the '70s — bada-boom — you've got Wonder Years-meets-Empire.